Montreal's Petry paying dividends in playoffs
Montreal GM Marc Bergevin earned some respect at the trade deadline when he swooped in to land highly touted trade prospect Jeff Petry, and Bergevin's moves are paying off in the playoffs. Bleacher Report recently looked at the advanced statistics for Petry, and those numbers prove the defenseman was worth the two picks Montreal traded to Edmonton to get him.
Petry boasts a 56.6 percent Fenwick, which measures scoring chances compared to opponents when a player is on the ice, and Petry's total is the best among Montreal defensemen who average more than 20 minutes of ice time. Petry's zone starts number, 37.6 percent, show he earns tough assignments on defense, as lower zone starts numbers indicate more shifts starting in the defensive zone. Combined, Petry's Fenwick and zone starts prove that, despite earning some of the most difficult assignments, Petry is doing a great job of limiting scoring opportunities for opponents.
According to Bleacher Report, the numbers do not tell the entire story for Petry.
"But these numbers, while capturing some of what makes Petry special, are dispassionate," Bleacher Report wrote. "They are even a little boring in how they translate live action into black-and-white statistics. They capture results but don’t illustrate Petry's intelligence in reading plays, or how his speed suits him to a transition game. They don't display his underrated skill game with the puck or his physical game on defense."
Petry will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, and given his performance in Montreal this postseason, it will be interesting to see what the Canadiens decide to do about him.
(h/t Bleacher Report)
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